Couple of questions; what other foods are high in sodium? I'm assuming unhealthy foods (ready meals etc) contain alot, I'm thinking more of healthy foods or basic foods, e.g. a read somewhere bread has a lot of sodium. (Haven't got the source of this sorry)

Does water retention mean the amount of water in all your cells? Muscle cells?

All processed foods have sodium. Most people get 3/4 of their sodium from processed, junk and fast food. If you eliminate these foods from your diet, not only will most of your health issues go away but you will likely need to add salt to your food.

_________________Stu Ward_________________Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~HippocratesStrength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley_________________Thanks TimD

Well I don't eat ready meals at all, so what is actually classed as processed foods? I eat potato's (not chips), brown rice, wholemeal pasta, brown bread, the only frozen food is chicken and fish. I always have cravings of putting salt on my meals, which to me means my body needs sodium?

Well I don't eat ready meals at all, so what is actually classed as processed foods? I eat potato's (not chips), brown rice, wholemeal pasta, brown bread, the only frozen food is chicken and fish. I always have cravings of putting salt on my meals, which to me means my body needs sodium?

Bread is a processed food and is a source of salt (the #1 source in American diets). Pasta, potatoes and rice are normally prepared in salted water. Still, if that's the way you're eating, you may very well need more salt. Doing some arithmetic, if most people get twice as much as the need, and most people get 3/4 from processed foods, then those people that don't eat processed foods likely only get about half the salt that they need. Sodium deficiency can cause seizures and coma. The body will tell you very clearly when it need more. That's what the cravings are. This is also why salt was so highly prized in ancient times.

On the other hand, your cravings may be a result or a dysfunctional body feedback system. If you have high blood pressure, you should consider this a possibility.

_________________Stu Ward_________________Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~HippocratesStrength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley_________________Thanks TimD

Stuward, I don't prepare my rice, pasta or potato's in salt water, and I thought bread was a big factor. I will listen to my cravings due to the fact I will probably need some from time to time and I don't have high blood pressure, I'm at pretty fit and healthy 20 year old.

I would agree that it's best to avoid processed foods for a lot of reasons.

If you are in good overall health (no high blood pressure, no kidney diseases) you can use salt to taste. Add it to things if they taste better to you that way.

The most common way to become too low on sodium is to drink too much water. This is what comes of many coaches and others telling people to drink lots and lots of water, or that commercially-made sports drinks are a better, more effective way to hydrate. These people believe that we can be dehydrated without knowing it, and that it's best to anticipate water loss by drinking extra water or (better yet) sports drinks in advance. They quote lots of "science", all supported by the sports drink industry.

Drink to taste, salt to taste. Then don't worry about it.

_________________Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan

Well I don't eat ready meals at all, so what is actually classed as processed foods? I eat potato's (not chips), brown rice, wholemeal pasta, brown bread, the only frozen food is chicken and fish. I always have cravings of putting salt on my meals, which to me means my body needs sodium?

Bread is a processed food and is a source of salt (the #1 source in American diets). Pasta, potatoes and rice are normally prepared in salted water. Still, if that's the way you're eating, you may very well need more salt. Doing some arithmetic, if most people get twice as much as the need, and most people get 3/4 from processed foods, then those people that don't eat processed foods likely only get about half the salt that they need. Sodium deficiency can cause seizures and coma. The body will tell you very clearly when it need more. That's what the cravings are. This is also why salt was so highly prized in ancient times.

On the other hand, your cravings may be a result or a dysfunctional body feedback system. If you have high blood pressure, you should consider this a possibility.

I'm interested in further understanding bread! I never realised it was a processed food, where would it come on a continuum for good/bad carbs say? Is it recommended to cut out bread if my main aim is aesthic appearance? I just thought bread was bread, white very unhealthy, brown pretty dam healthy to be honest!

All I know for sure was that I was just getting fatter until I stopped taking sandwiches to work.

One more point/rant about whole wheat. Wheat germ is a good source of betaine which metabolizes to choline. You can get it from soy as well. Choline can help in controlling metabolic syndrome and fatty liver. It is chronically deficient in the modern diet. Therefore whole wheat gets played up as very healthy. Of course the best source is egg yolks and liver both of which are casualties on the war against dietary fat. Folic acid is another reason people promote whole grains. Eat your greens.

_________________Stu Ward_________________Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~HippocratesStrength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley_________________Thanks TimD

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